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smog - 9 dictionary results
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smog

  [smog, smawg]
Use smog in a Sentence
–noun
1. smoke or other atmospheric pollutants combined with fog in an unhealthy or irritating mixture.
2. photochemical smog.
–verb (used with object)
3. to cover or envelop with or as if with smog.
Origin:
1900–05; sm(oke) + ( f)og 1

Related forms:
smogless, adjective

photochemical smog

 
–noun Meteorology.
air pollution containing ozone and other reactive chemical compounds formed by the action of sunlight on nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, esp. those in automobile exhaust.
Also called oxidant smog, smog.

Origin:
1957; photo- + chemical
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To smog
smog   (smŏg, smôg)   
n.  
  1. Fog that has become mixed and polluted with smoke.
  2. A form of air pollution produced by the photochemical reaction of sunlight with hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides that have been released into the atmosphere, especially by automotive emissions.

[sm(oke) + (f)og1.]
smog'gy adj., smog'less adj.
Word History: New phenomena require new words, so it is not surprising that smog is a relatively recent coinage. The word followed the phenomenon by perhaps half a century, for air pollution was first noticed during the Industrial Revolution. The word smog is first recorded in 1905 in a newspaper report of a meeting of the Public Health Congress. Dr. H.A. des Vɶux gave a paper entitled "Fog and Smoke," in which, in the words of the Daily Graphic of July 26, "he said it required no science to see that there was something produced in great cities which was not found in the country, and that was smoky fog, or what was known as 'smog.'" The next day the Globe remarked that "Dr. des Vɶux did a public service in coining a new word for the London fog."
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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smog

A haze or fog composed of water vapor, complex molecules, and suspended particles.

Note: In North America, the primary cause of smog is pollution from automobile exhaust.
Note: The Los Angeles basin, where pollutants can be trapped by inversions and the surrounding mountains, has frequent problems with smog, as do other major urban areas.
Note: The word smog is a combination of smoke and fog.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : smog
Spanish: niebla mezclada con humo,
German: der Smog,
Japanese: スモッグ
More Translations »

smog 
1905, blend of smoke and fog, formed "after Lewis Carrol's example" [Klein; see portmanteau]. Reputedly coined in ref. to London, and first attested there in a paper read by Dr. H.A. des Voeux, treasurer of the Coal Smoke Abatement Society, though he seems not to have claimed credit for coining it.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: smog
Pronunciation: 'smäg also 'smog
Function: noun
: a fog made heavier and darker by smoke and chemical fumes; also : a photochemical haze caused by the action of solar ultraviolet radiation on atmosphere polluted with hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen from automobile exhaust
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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smog (smŏg)
n.

  1. Fog that has become mixed and polluted with smoke.
  2. A form of air pollution produced when sunlight causes hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides from automotive emissions to combine in a photochemical reaction.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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smog   (smŏg)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. A form of air pollution produced by the reaction of sunlight with hydrocarbons, nitrogen compounds, and other gases primarily released in automobile exhaust. Smog is common in large urban areas, especially during hot, sunny weather, where it appears as a brownish haze that can irritate the eyes and lungs. Ozone, a toxic gas that is not normally produced at lower atmospheric levels, is one of the primary pollutants created in this kind of smog. Also called photochemical smog.
  2. Fog that has become polluted with smoke and particulates, especially from burning coal.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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smog
smoke and fog
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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AAA Approved Smog Checks
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19th Ave Smog Test Only
 $30 Coupon Off Smog (415) 334-2000 1101 Junipero Serra Blvd @ 19th Ave
 www.19smog.com